


Fortitude

by SkullAvis



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: AU, Gen, Multi, Other, could either interpret gang au or delinquent au, inspired by movies I've been watching lately, not sure I'll include ghouls appearing. maybe., romance too I guess, some slight violence in later chapters, troublemakers hide and kaneki, yea everyone is human
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:12:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3511400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkullAvis/pseuds/SkullAvis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>:  strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Once Hide woke up, the first thing he noticed was that both of his feet were cold. It was strange, since he always wore socks to bed.

Well...not always more like occasionally. Only if it were chilly in his room.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately winced against the bright light. He hated sleeping in a very bright room, that's why he had dark colored curtains over his apartment's windows so the morning light wouldn't be too bright for his liking.

He then tried to look around his surroundings as his brown eyes adjusted. His head had felt like he bumped it somehow. He seriously had no idea how he ended up here, wherever here was exactly.

All of a sudden he heard voices, voices he can't tell what they're saying but ...There are two people from the sound of it, speaking quietly. He raised a brow and tried to sit up, but that was when a wave of pain hit. Hide winced and fell back on the bed. It felt like his chest had been split in half. His hand ached, too.

' _What..'_

Taking a deep breath he ignored the pain. Slowly, he turned his head to glanced over at his other hand.

_'What the hell?'_

An IV drip was taped on his right wrist. His gaze later shifted to the small bag of the IV hanging from a metal stand beside him. And the bed he was lying on was cold metal – it looked like an operating table –, even a spotlight suspended above it. He felt his breath hitch

So was he in a hospital? He looked around the room once more confirming his question. But...There wasn't that hospital smell, though.

_'Why am I even here for?'_

He lifted his left hand, absently scratching his neck until he blinked and notice something was gone, his headphones, the orange ones he never took off, were now missing. That realization snatched the final thought from his head.

 _'They better not be brok–'_ He paused and noticed something.

Cautiously, Hide raised up on his elbows, then frowned.

This wasn't like any hospital he's ever seen before. He was in the center of a glass chamber, he can't really tell but by the looks of it he felt like he was trapped in a box, the windows shut and fogged up from the cold weather so he couldn't see the outside.

The floor was bare concrete. Aside from the operating table and the IV stand, trays of medical implements including machines were scattered around. In the corner stood a small trash bin.

_'I feel like I'm in a movie man...'_

Looking down, the teen discovered that he was wearing one if those cloth gowns that were usually worn for patients.

Hide looked around once more and came to a conclusion, this wasn't an official hospital. He got the feeling that whatever this place was, bad things happened here.

Because of that, something isn't right. 

The voices grew louder, someone was coming. Hide clenched his fist, he had spent the past four years fending for himself. He learned better than to trust authority figures, whether they were cops, doctors, or social workers. And he wasn't about to start trusting anyone now, not in a situation like this. Not in a place like this. 

Quietly, he eased his feet off the table and fell to the floor.

' _Ow.. not a great idea. That hurt!'_

He quickly snatched the blanket and wrapped it around himself, repressing a shiver. The cement was freezing, like stepping barefoot onto a pair of ice. How does he know that? Don't ask.

_'Why was it necessary to take my socks!'_

The voices stopped just outside the chamber. Hide strained his ears to listen, catching only a few words,

"It worked...good...give...call...can't believe we finally..."

The last bit came through crystal clear. A man's voice, sounding relieved as he said, "They'll handle it. This boy is not our problem."

His eyes slightly widened. What the hell were they talking about? Did they...did they do something to him while he was unconscious?

Fighting to urge to keep his mouth shut and not start yelling at them. Hide desperately scanned the room.

A few feet away, he recognized the metal tray from earlier, it held a variety of medical items. Hide tried to reach for it when the door at the far end of the room suddenly opened.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

 

"Hey! Stop!" a man shouted, trying to catch the boy by the shoulder. The teen ripped free and hurtled past the guy, keeping the hidden bag tucked under his arm.

Smirking to himself, he ducked and weaved through the crowd making sure he avoided being caught.

He obviously timed the snatch at a wrong time, grabbing the handbag off a woman's shoulder as the platform doors were closing. Yep it was sure a bad timing.

A guy who'd just gotten off the train heard her yelp and noticed what had happened. He immediately charged after him, chasing him through the entire area, it was as though that man was quick as a cat. Hm..he does look ferocious now that he thought about it. But anyway, did he mentioned that man was still chasing him?

_'C'mon Kaneki. Hurry it up.'_

This is why he usually stuck to snatching poorly attended bags off chairs or sneak wallets out of back pockets. Frowning, Kaneki was angry with himself for taking the risk, but that thin strap was danging very tantalizingly from that lady's shoulder while she was struggling with a bunch of shopping bags, he couldn't resist grabbing it.

He tucked the bag more securely under his arm as he bolted ahead. The turnstiles weren't far from where he was; couple hundred feet and he'd jump over them. The exit also wasn't that far, he just needed to get outside before he gets in any more trouble. The streets outside should still be packed with a bunch of people.

All he had to do was get there as fast as he could. Glancing behind him for a brief second seeing if that guy was still on his tail, Kaneki tried to adjust his bandanna over his mouth until he almost ran into a woman and her daughter who stopped to tie her shoe. Thinking quickly, he tucked his feet under him, leaping over her at the last possible second, almost hitting her head with his shoe.

"Woah, that was close." He muttered letting out a relief breath before apologizing to the woman as he ran. Chuckling, he slowed his pace, looking around realizing he was close to the exit.

"I just have to get out of here before I run into–"

"Hey kid come back here!"

 _'Shit!'_  

The guy's shouts were sounding closer now. Sweat flowed down Kaneki's face, ignoring how his dark hair was slightly sticking to his forehead. His heart and lungs were starting to hurt. It's been a while since he'd run anywhere this long and the fact that it was cold out was bad idea. He felt a coughing fit coming on, the dry air tickling his throat. No way he's going to stop just for a measly cough. Trying to calm down, he continued to dash towards the exit, thinking, _'No, not now, I can't stop now, I have to get out of here.'_

He was not going to get caught. Sucking in a deep breath, he then thought back to his mother, the lack of money his family had wasn't entirely helping them, but the amount that he's been snatching for sometime was all they had to support them. Thinking about her, Kaneki gritted his teeth and ignored the pain in his legs from all this running.

 _'Keep moving!' I have to keep going!'_ His determination made him run faster, he shot over the turnstiles and sprinted up the stairs then emerged on a familiar street he recognized. ' _Finally!'_  He looked over at the sidewalk and hoped it was crowded like he'd predicted it'd be. Kaneki spotted a patrol officer sipping coffee by a bench eating a bag of donuts. Hearing the shouting, the cop turned. His eyes locked to Kaneki's for a bit before they narrowed.

Kaneki gulped, nearly twisting his ankle as he frantically switched direction, heading towards the station he was just at. That is...Until the man chasing him earlier suddenly appeared looking for him. 

_'Ah, great.'_


	2. Chapter 2

They yelled and pointed. Everything seemed to go in slow-motion. The boy saw the cop showing his 'badge' as he hollered, "Tokyo PD! Hold it right there! Put your hands up!"

Blocked in both directions. Kaneki's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath; quickly he realized there was only one way out.

Adjusting his bandanna over his mouth, hoping no one recognized him. He glanced at a opening direction.

Turning...He dashed head-on into the streets, shocking his chasers.

The screech of tires sounded. Kaneki managed to jump over the first car as it braked, nearly hitting him. The burn in his chest was getting worse, and he could feel himself slowing down. _'C'mon Ken, don't give up, just yet.'_ He scold in thought. 

A car in the next lane stopped dead, the driver lurched forward then snapping back as the seat belt caught them. The third time, he wasn't so lucky- a car bumper slammed into his side, which quickly started to throb as he stumbled and fell.

He immediately got up; despite the pain, he managed to break in a awkward run. Ignoring the protesting noise of car horns, he crossed a narrow lane that separated the outgoing traffic. The other side was clearer, but that meant the cars were moving faster. _'I'll make it.'_   He eyed them, panting heavily, waiting for a break in the steady stream of vehicles. He glanced downward to his shoes for a moment while the purse was still tucked under his arm, he then looked at the streetlight.

Suddenly, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder as a familiar voice from earlier snarled, "Got you, you little-"

Spotting his chance, Kaneki pulled away and dodged forward, tearing across the street right before a bus rolled through. The man tried to follow, but as if on cue, all lanes suddenly filled with cars. Kaneki could hear the man swearing, making him grin and threw him a salute.

As he ran, he smirked when he figured out their name when the cop from earlier spoke. "Did you get him, Amon?"

"No, that kid is impossible to catch."

"Come on, let's go grab something to eat. That'll calm you down."

"Alright."

* * *

Kaneki made it through a park as quickly as he could, limping slightly. As the adrenaline wore off, his knee started throbbing, he'll have a huge bruise there no doubt about it. He sighed then  paced slowly another few blocks then ducked into an alley beside a dumpster, he took a moment to rest.

He felt lightheaded, and he was still gasping for air after putting his bandanna away. _'I really gotta cut back on running. Or I'll never get into shape.'_ He thought amusingly as he opened the clasps on the bag and started riffling through it. Receipts, house keys, credit cards, and a small nearly empty change wallet. Judging by the weight of it, he opened it and let out a chuckle.

"Surprise, surprise. I win."

* * *

_Back to Hide...-_

Two men dressed in scrubs crossed the doorway. The first was a thin guy, a few strands of dark hair pasted across his forehead beneath a surgical cap. The other was slightly tanned but nonetheless he was younger than the dark-haired male.

Seeing him, they froze.

Hide seized the opportunity to edge closer to the tray.

"Where the hell am I?" He asked. His voice came out weaker than usual like he hadn't spoken in a while. The two males recovered from their surprise and exchanged a look with one another. The first one jerked his head, and the other rushed out from the room.

"Where's he going?" Hide asked. He was two feet from the tray now, and he was three feet past it.

The second male held up his hands cautiously. "You were in a accident, sir." He said trying to act casual, "You're in the hospital."

Hide narrowed his eyes, "No, really?" He stated sarcastically before being serious, "Which hospital?"

"You're going to be fine. Some disorientation is to be expected in your mind still." The male glanced back over his shoulder.

He knew what he meant, he was changing the subject, Hide proceeded to ask frowning,"What kind of accident?"

The guy paused, his eyes shifting as he searched for a response, and Hide obviously knew he was lying.

The last thing he remembered was leaving his apartment and walking towards a station to catch a train to the closest city. He was heading downtown to pick up a couple of things from the post office in that area.

He could've rode his bike but he figured it would be better to take a train.

As soon as he arrived, he sighed in content, sometimes this weather was soothing to him. He also noted how nice it was being outside, some trees were already shedding their leaves in a variety of oranges and reds as he passed by them. It was really something to him.

And then...nothing. It was all a big blank or blur as if that was his last memory he remembered.

"A car accident," the male finally explained, a small tone of triumph in his voice.

"I don't drive. There's no way I was in an accident." Hide said wary at where this was going. _'What's up with this guy?'_

"Uh...A car hit you, is what I meant." The guy looked back again, increasingly impatient. Clearly the other guy had gone for help or something. Which meant Hide was running out of time.

_'Liar.'_

The teen then got an idea. He suddenly fell forward, as if wooziness had overwhelmed him to get the other's attention. The man lunged to help him. But then in one smooth motion, Hide scooped a scalpel off the tray and pressed it against the side of the guy's neck threatening.

He saw his eyes opened wide in shock.

"You're going to get me out of here right now," Hide said firmly and in a cold tone, "or I'll leave a scar on your neck. Don't make any sounds."

"Please." The guy's voice was shaky confirming that he was getting scared. "You don't understand. You can't just leave, it's for your own-"

Suddenly they heard a rush of footsteps pounding towards them.

Hide then shoved the male in front of him, keeping the blade pressed against his neck as they walked near the door. He stopped once he was near the outside, this was not a hospital at all, but a giant warehouse. Makeshift aisles composed of cardboard boxes and long lines of metal filing cabinets surrounded the glass chamber.

"Which way is the exit?" Hide hissed, anger clearly evident in his voice. They were nearly the same height, which made it easier to say this close to his ear. The man hesitated. Then pointed to the left shakily. "That way, but it has an alarm."

Following where he was pointing, Hide spotted the narrow hallway leading off to the left. _'Is that so?'_ He thought as he shoved him toward it.

Someone was shouting orders from what he could tell. As they entered the hallway, he heard the chamber door being flung open. He also heard them yelling as they realized he was gone.

The hallway was long and narrow and lined with more boxes stacked up to shoulder height on both sides.

The teen fought to ignore the panic in his mind. Shaking his head, they made their way towards the opposite direction and then came face-to-face with a large metal door. It was chained.

_'...This can't be happening.'_

"I don't see an alarm," Hide said flatly looking back to the male.

"You have to believe me," he pleaded. "You can't get away. They'll never let you go."

Ignoring him, Hide glance beside him and saw the top box on the stack gaped open.

Hide dug his free hand inside, then risked a glance; to find anything, but nothing was found to break a padlock. He was trapped.

Hide fought the urge to scream in frustration. If only he'd stood a chance at escaping with something useful. Now, he was like a rat at the end of the maze. Shaking his head he noticed he had a few minutes left before they found him.

_'I need a disguise.'_   He then turned towards the male.

"Take off your clothes," He ordered.

"What?!" The other sputtered, "But–"

"Now." He pressed the scalpel deeper into his neck.

A minute later, the guy shuddered in his underwear as Hide stepped into his shoes and pulled the mask up over his face. Good thing that guy decided to stay. Anyway back to where he left off.

_'At least my feet aren't cold.'_   He thought distracted for a moment, Hide then heard what the guy was saying.

"You're not going to get out. It wont work."

Hide frowned and then punched him right in the jaw. He dropped hard, knocking over boxes on the way down. He was out cold.

Hide shakes his hand, narrowing his eyes, "Don't underestimate me," he muttered.

He then glanced back towards the chained door and sighed with a slight pout.

"I want my headphones back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the hits and kudos guys :] (and those who bookmarked this.)
> 
> Anyway I hope many of you enjoyed this so far!  
> -  
> So for the next chapter, I'm thinking of making Kaneki and Hide both run into each other? (but like they already know each other and all that because y'know childhood friends.) or I could have them meeting each other for the first time. 
> 
> What do you guys think?
> 
> I'll probably have them running into each other either way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note to self...remember to have a saved copy of written work otherwise the site will delete it.
> 
> Why would you delete it from drafts after only a month? I don't get this site. orz...)
> 
> Anyway, kinda not satisfied with how I wrote this chapter but ehh might as well just update. Sorry about it being short ^^' Hope some of you enjoy.

_'Think, think. I have to think of a way to get out of here before they find me.'_  Hide thought as he continue to look at the place he was currently trapped in.

His eyes shifted once more to the so called 'alarmed' door. Mentally whining at how impossible it was to break those chains, the blond then jumped when he heard a loud alarm coming from the intercom.

"Shit! I have to hurry," Hide muttered in a rush, running back into the hallway hoping that it was still empty. And to his luck, it was.

He took a look around and spotted an air vent, "Okay now I really feel like I'm in a movie."  He said before continuing his task on escaping.

After managing to crawl in and securing the cover of the vent so no one would suspect it being opened, Hide almost yelped in surprise when he heard multiple footsteps approaching all of a sudden. 

Waiting until their footsteps vanish, the teen let out a breath.  _'Man that was close.'_   he thought and then started to crawl for a way out of the vent.

* * *

"Fresh air! Yes!" Hide exclaimed to no one in particular, finally reaching the outside of that place.

He took a deep breath and looked around his surroundings wondering where was he.

Taking a closer look at his left direction and seeing a a bunch of people walking around, a grin appeared on his face.

_'Ah, I'm near the town. Perfect.'_

Chuckling, Hide pulled down the mask he had on for a moment as he contemplated on a plan to get through the town without getting questioned about his appearance. 

"Man... I got nothing." He said with a slight whine, letting his gaze move towards the sky instead of the town.

With a defeated sigh and a laugh, Hide shrugged then placed the mask back up to his face and began walking.

"Better get going. I want to go home, this guy's outfit smells gross."

* * *

Kaneki dusted off his pants once he stood up from where he was sitting. Smiling to himself, he placed the wallet into his pocket with his bandanna and threw the bag from earlier to a nearby dumpster without a care in the world.

Stretching his limbs for a bit while he walked he didn't notice a familiar blonde boy walking in a fast pace in front of him.

Well he didn't pay much attention to them until the boy's familiar mumbled voice reached his ears. 

Blinking for a moment, Kaneki called out their name. 

"Hide?"

He saw the other stiffened in his steps once he stopped walking and then proceeded to turn around.

_'It is him, but what is he doing here? and...what the hell is he wearing?'_

If he didn't known better he thought he saw a mixture of something within Hide's brown eyes after he turned around but then it vanished when he saw it was him. 

"Kaneki?"

The raven smiled and nodded, "Why are you wearing a surgical mask, Hide?"

Hide raised a brow a bit confused and then pulled down the mask and gave Kaneki a grin after he pointed at it and sheepishly scratched his neck, "Oh this? Ah well, you see..."

Of course Kaneki knew something wasn't right, "You got into trouble again?" 

"Not exactly-" He saw him scratch his cheek absentmindedly.  _'Jackpot.'_

"Hide."

"C'mon! Why am I always accused of getting into trouble? You're the troublemaker around here man!" Hide exclaimed as he crossed his arms while pouting at the raven.

Kaneki couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh I don't know, maybe because I found my best friend in the middle of town wearing something unlike his usual outfit. Why exactly are you dressed up like that anyway?"

Hide laughed sheepishly, "Can I tell you later? I mean, I could tell you what happened but there's too many  _witnesses_  around here." He saw the other rolled his eyes when he emphasized 'witnesses' despite the amount of people who were passing by occasionally. "And I'd like to get out of these pronto. Not really my style man. I prefer my own clothes thank you very much."

Kaneki shook his head and then playfully scoff at the blonde as he put his hands inside his pockets, "Of course you do."

"Yup! Now c'mon. These clothes aren't exactly made for this weather y'know? I want to go home and change."

Kaneki hummed for a moment and then nodded, "Right. Let's go."

* * *

"What?"

"Hey. You promised you wouldn't get mad."

Kaneki sighed, watching Hide begin to lit up two matches, "You could've called me, Hide. I was near the train station anyway."  

The other shrugged glancing at the stolen clothes he had taken off earlier scattered in the trash bin. "Beats me. Heck, I even forgot I left my phone here at home."

"Tell me again why you're burning the clothes?"

Hide feigned a shocked look on his face once he faced Kaneki, "Dude! These could be infected with who knows what! You expect me to keep them around my closet?! With my own clothes?!"

"Hide don't be so dramatic."

Hide scoffed, "Excuse you. I'll have you know I have never-"

"I've known you since we were kids, Hide."

"Damn it, Ken!" Whined Hide before flicking the two matches into the bin, instantly burning the clothes, ignoring the small laugh from his friend. The smell of burnt meeting their noses.

"Hm...Maybe I should've gotten firecrackers. Those would've been fun." Hide mused as he walked forward and held his gloved hands near the ember, warming up his hands. 

Kaneki hummed in agreement while stepping near Hide to also warm up his hands.

"So Kaneki~ What exciting thing happen to you today?~" Hide asked with a knowing grin nudging into his friend's side before throwing another match.

Smirking at his direction, Kaneki pulled out the small wallet he had inside his pocket and showed it to Hide. "Take a wild guess."

"Sweet! Did you do the new pickpocket trick I taught you?"

Kaneki chuckled, "Not yet, I only got the chance to get a woman's bag before that cop we know caught me and then started chasing me."

"Ah, Amon-san was at the station? Hm... I figured much. You usually carry more than this." He pointed at the wallet and recalled the other times he's seen his friend with multiple of wallets.

"Yeah. Maybe next time. You can tag along too if you want."

Hide grinned, giving him thumbs up after grabbing a water bottle and dumping water into the burning clothes, "Definitely. I'll even be the distraction, Kaneki. You can count me in buddy."

"Thanks Hide."

"What are you two idiots doing?" A voice asks, sighing.

They both jump and glanced over their shoulders spotting the owner of the voice.

"Yo Nishio-san!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *updates after who knows how long*
> 
> It's been a while.

Of course, let Hide be the one to cut the silence.

"Seriously, what the hell are you doing?" Nishiki asks once more, his eyes narrowing as he looks at the two of them.

"What does it look like?" Hide raised a brow, "Duh, laundry." The blond drawled as he pointed at the bin with the water bottle in a rather comical way as if to prove his point, "Today's our laundry day." He stated before tossing the water bottle into a different trash bin a few distance from them, "Tell him, Kaneki."

"...He was burning clothes."

Hide gasped, "Kaneki! What the heck man!"

"Nagachika." The blonde gulped and then turned to look at the other male, "Uh yes Nishio-san?"

"Is that my trash bin?"

Hide avoided his gaze, "So what if it is?"

"It always smells like burning shit you dumbass. What else have you been burning in it?"

"Oh you know, the usual." The teen started while grinning mischievously at him, "Useless papers, homework I got back, trash, half eaten food-"

"Why don't you use your own trashcan?" Nishiki hissed crossing his arms.

Hide snorted, "Why should I?" He asks defensively and then leaned against the wall beside him, "C'mon Nishio-san. Cut me some slack–"

"Oh I'll do more than cutt–"

"Maybe!" Kenaki cut in avoiding Nishiki's glare, "I should get going?" Kaneki said beginning to turn around and make his leave, "See you later Hide, Nishio-san,"

"Where do you think you're going, Kaneki." Kaneki tensed at the recognizable female voice and he inwardly cursed.

"Touka-chan!" He exclaimed smiling sheepishly at the girl once he turned around,  "Umm, busy day at the shop right?" By looking at her displeased expression as she looked at him and then at Hide, he knew they were found out...again. 

"Both of you. Get your asses inside, now." She ordered after throwing a dirty rag into the burnt trash bin. 

"Yes, ma'am." Both boys answered. 

* * *

"Confess, now."

"What is this? An interrogation?" Hide scoffed once he and Kaneki sat down. "You think if we run out of here fast enough she'll catch us?" He whispered nudging Kaneki's arm. 

"Hide." Warned the other. 

"Fine, fine." Hide chuckled and then rested his cheek on his hand while his other hand slightly began drumming against the table. 

"What is it that you want us to confess, lovely Touka-chan?"

Touka looked like she was about to strangle Hide for a moment but then changed her expression back to normal once she started speaking. 

"Explain why the hell are you bruised up," she pointed at Kaneki and then towards Hide, "and you, all scratched up."

"We are?" They asked in unison.

Touka sighed.

"I'll go get the first aid kit."

"But we're fine–" 

"Kaneki, it's obvious you're fucking limping. And Hide, you're bleeding from your palm. You better not leave the shop when I come back with the kit or else."

Both boys nodded. 

"Good."

* * *

Kaneki rolled his eyes as he watched Touka bandaged Hide's cuts and the constant bickering coming from Hide.

"How did you even manage to get these cuts?"

Hide shrugged, "It just happened."

"You're lying." Touka said in a deadpand tone. 

"Me? Lie? Why I would nev–Ouch!!"

"Hide."

"Not telling."

"Oh? Is that so?" The girl inquired.

Hide raised a brow, looking at her suspiciously. 

"Hey baka-Kaneki. Mind handing me the disinfectant?"

Hide's eyes widened and he quickly retreated his hand,"Okay! I'll tell you!"

* * *

Few minutes later...

"...And so I burned the clothes to get rid of the eviden–"

"So basically, you got your ass kidnapped into a unknown hospital."

"They're the ones who kidnapped me!" He retorted, "I didn't know I was being kidnapped until I woke up. Jeeze." 

"An eighteen year old didn't noticed he was being kidnapped by a bunch of strangers. Wow. Fascinating." Touka stated giving him a blank stare and then turned to the dark haired boy, "Kaneki, how are you best friends with _this_?"

"Hey!" 

Kaneki chuckled before he smiled then began clasping his hands together, "Well," he began, "It all started when we were–"

"No Kaneki! Don't you dare tell her the story!" Hide whined after he threw a clean rag at Kaneki's face without thinking. 

Kaneki snorted amusingly, he then grabbed the rag and handed it to Touka who rolled her eyes. "Fine, I won't tell her."

"Anyway," Hide stretched as he stood up, "It was a little scary trying to escape from there. I honestly don't know what they wanted from me. I don't think they even did anything to me while I was knocked out. Only just change me into those hideous hospital gowns."

"You need to be careful Hide, what if they decide to take you again and this time you can't leave that place?" Touka said, remembering the whole details the blond had explained to them which made the entire thing suspicious. 

Kaneki nodded, looking over at Hide with a serious expression, "She's right, Hide. This can't happen again. They could even take the others with you including me and Touka."

Hide scratched his cheek absentmindedly, he was fully aware about what would happen if that ordeal were to occur.

There was no way he was going to let it happen.

Hide hummed for a moment,"Yeah, I get what you're saying," The blond then glanced at the window watching the amount of people pass by, "I guess I could make some tiny tracking devices just in case this does happen again. It would be safer for all of us, right?"

"Hide, I seriously hate your dumb gadget ideas," Touka paused for a bit, but Hide heard her mumble under her breath, 'I can't believe I'm about to say this,' before she sighed and then continued, "but this could work."

Hide's face lit up, "Really?!"

"You're still an idiot though." She added before walking towards the counter, ending their conversation.

Hide pouted, "You're so cruel Touka-chan."  He then turned to his best friend before clutching his chest dramatically, "Kaneki. She hurt my feelings. Come give you best friend a hu–" He stopped in mid-sentence and then blinked. 

"Hm?"

"Oh you double crosser." The blond stated as he playfully narrowed his eyes at Kaneki.

Kaneki rolled his eyes, "You guys are done?" He then shrugged and smiled, "Sorry, I got hungry."

He let out a chuckle at his friend's playful glare, "Want me to buy you a cupcake too?" He asks after taking out the wallet he had stolen and took some yen out.

"...Yes please. I'll pay you back later." 

"You better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda disappeared for a while. Haha sorry..
> 
> Next chapter is half written, so I still need more things to add to it.
> 
> But I'll try to update when I can.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some past stuff,  
> and the time they had to make a regretful decision to two Kirishimas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have no idea where I'm going with this, but anyway enjoy this chapter (I actually tried making it longer so this is all I could give you guys srry)

_It all started during a normal Summer day when they were kids when their stunts happened after an accident._

_He and Hide were bored from playing video games in his room so they both decided to hang out at their local park. They were only a few steps from entering when he started getting an unknown feeling something wasn't right. But he couldn't figure out what seemed out of place._

_"Pst. Kaneki," Hide whispered catching his attention, "Kaneki, look."_

_He was pointing at something and Kaneki finally realized what that unknown feeling he felt earlier was._

_"...What is that?"_

_There was a tree a few feet ahead of them. Pretty old, he guessed. But the unusual thing was, there was a violet haired woman... laying there in casual clothing, just near the trunk of the tree. She didn't seem to be moving. He saw that she was surrounded by a pool of blood, some dried on top of her and some still dripping out of her. He was starting to feel uncomfortable as he saw flies flying over her body._

_"Hm... She's dead, isn't she?" Hide stated looking at the body with a blank look. As if it didn't really bothered him. Kaneki looked away from the woman's unmoving body, taking a step back and then answered Hide, "Yeah... she is."_

_"What do you think happened to her?" Hide asked taking two steps forward to look closely at the body._

_Kaneki was starting to get uneasy. They have to leave. They have to right now. Or at least get away from the woman's body before a cop walks by wondering what they were looking at._

_Without answering his friend, Kaneki kept looking around the park trying to distract himself. The woman's body was starting to smell really gross._

_"Look Kaneki, her eyes are different."_

_"Hide, we have to go."_

_"There's something beside her."_

_"Hide."_

_The boy hummed at him as he picked up the abandoned item and then a broken branch. "I just want to know what it is, just wait a sec."_

_Kaneki's eyes widened and he's had enough of being there. Quickly, he grabbed the stick his friend was holding._

_"Hey!"_

_Kaneki shook his head and then broke the branch into pieces before grabbing his friend's hand and pulling him to the exit._

_"We're leaving. Let's go."_

_He was expecting the blond to protest but was a little surprised at his response._

_"Okay then. Let's go to my place, my Mom's making burgers!"_

_Relief washed over him and he soon gave a nod and agreed, "Yeah okay."_

* * *

_After that, it became almost normal for them to encounter other dead bodies laying around any corner of the ward which didn't shock them at all. Other than on Kaneki's part, he just gave up on the constant complaining his best friend was giving him and just agreed to do this so by now he was used to it._

_Although they wouldn't do anything but guess and make assumptions about what happened to the deceased people. Even once in a while they would take whatever they had on them and walk away from the scene without getting noticed._

_"Bet you that was by Homicide." Hide said looking at the corpse they were standing a few feet from. It looked as if someone had snapped their neck in a weird way and left their body there to rot with a lot of open wounds, plus they were still bleeding a bit._

_Kaneki shrugged, "Could be." He replied, "Maybe it was Suicide."_

_Hide scoffed in a playful manner, "Oh please, It's obvious someone murdered him."_

_"Everything always lead up to murder, Hide." Kaneki pointed out._

_"Hey, don't get smart with me."_

_"But I am smarter than you."_

_Hide huffed and then pulled Kaneki's hood over his head. He couldn't help but laugh when Kaneki also pulled up his hood and then the both of them began to laugh among themselves._

_"Okay, so now what do we do? All I see is this guy's broken glasses, I don't see anything suspicious about him or why he ended up dead."_

_"We can always check his pockets? Did you remember to bring gloves this time?" Kaneki suggested while he looked at the blonde._

_"Ah you're right," Hide responded with a grin, "And yeah I brought them. Thanks to Rei, we are fully prepared."_

_"I don't get why you don't call him by the name he wants to go by. Juuzou isn't that hard to remember."_

_"Meh, he doesn't mind."_

_Humming, Kaneki shook his head and grabbed the pair of gloves the other handed him, "If you say so,"_

_"I know so."_

_"He scratched you with those knives of his on your legs."_

_"Oh you know we were just playing a game. And besides I got him back for that. Sorta."_

_"Mm sorta, you say."_

_"Yes sorta. Now hurry up and get the guy's wallet Kaneki. It's getting cold and I think I hear police sirens coming."_

_"How much you wanna bet it's the new guy's?"_

_"I still can't believe you still don't know the guy's name," Hide snickered, "Well I only have three dollars on me, so how's that sound?"_

_Kaneki carefully avoided any blood from getting on him, luckily there was hardly any after he grabbed the deceased male's wallet._

_He then counted the yen before he let out a light chuckle, "Perfect."_

_Hide whistled at the amount of yen his best friend had grabbed and from the corner of his eye he could spot a familiar police car._

_"Ah, I lost." He mused as he handed three dollars to Kaneki and then stared at the police car, timing it mentally._

_"Is he here?" Kaneki asks putting the gloves into Hide's backpack._

_"Thirty seconds. We better go."_

_"Okay."_

* * *

_Three years passed and Hide noticed something going on with his friend and the money they've been taking. When he figured it out, he knew he had to snap Kaneki out of it._

_"Don't you dare start giving that pathetic woman money, Kaneki." The fifteen year old blonde exclaimed._

_"Hide-"_

_"Kaneki, no."_

_The boy stayed silent as he gazed at the ground while wiping his eyes._

_Hide sighed, running a hand through his hair._

_He had to keep his cool, he thought to himself, trying to reason with the other was getting him nowhere._

_"You don't have to do that just because your Mom used to give her money, Ken." Hide muttered, using his best friend's name on purpose for him to listen. To listen just how serious this was._

_He's met his mom before. In fact, he remembered Kaneki's mother well. She had been so kind to him as a child. She had treated him better than his own mother had whenever he went over to their house to play with Kaneki. But then something had changed when a few months passed and he wasn't allowed to stay over long after it became dark._

_So when the memory of seeing the ambulance pull up at the other's house after they'd gotten something from the supermarket happen one day, he found out what was going on and knew what he had to do._  

_He's seen what's been going on and wanted an end to it._

_Kaneki bit his lip, "But Hide I have to do somet-"_

_That's it._

_The blond clenched his fists before he punched a nearby locker not caring if he made a dent to it whatsoever. He wasn't one to get angry so easily but this time he has had it with his best friend's excuses. He also noticed how the loud noise made Kaneki jump. Ah well, he'll apologize for that later._

_"She's the reason your mother is hospitalized Kaneki! She's the one who made her overwork herself! She gave her something after your mom hands her money, I've seen this happen! Why don't you get that through your head? She almost killed her, damn it!"_

_'She almost made her hurt you...' He wanted to add but stopped himself from doing so._

_"..."_

_"...Do you want her die?" Hide whispers._

_"Hide–"_

_"Do you want to be_ _alone...?"_    _  
_

_After saying that, he knew the answer, "No I don't..."_

_"Then quit giving away your money."_

_Kaneki instantly raised his head to look at him but he didn't say anything after wiping the rest of his tears and Hide had to refrain himself from stepping back as if he were to get hit or if anything physical would happen between the both of them._

_All of a sudden he saw Kaneki's eyes shift towards his hand and Hide raised an eyebrow. Why was he looking at his hand? He'll admit, it did started to throb after he had punch the locker._

_Just as Hide was about to say something, Kaneki smiled then began to speak, "Okay... I won't give my aunt any money." Hide's eyes lit up at that, "Really?-"_

_"Only if you stop hurting yourself like what you just did. Your hand looks like it's starting to bruise, Hide." Kaneki stated softly. "You know I don't like it when you do that."_

_Hide's shoulders relaxed. He then chuckled sheepishly and then raised his hand to see it. His eyes widened slightly. Oh boy, maybe he shouldn't have punched that locker but he had to get his best friend to listen to him._

_"Ah, sorry, Kaneki," Hide said giving the other boy a gentle smile, "I promise I won't hurt myself like that ever again."_

_"Good." Kaneki let out a small laugh, feeling relief after their discussion._

_"So... Can I have my book back?"_

_"Wow, way to ruin the mood, Kaneki." Hide said playfully before going into his pocket to retrieve the said book and handed it to the other boy._

_"I'm almost done with it, Hide. Besides, I wanted to return it to the library after practice. Until you ambushed me before going inside. Now they think we're late."_

_The blond pouted as they began to walk._ _"Well I couldn't exactly talk to you at your job today. Nishio-senpai almost kicked me out for doing nothing! Can you believe that guy?" He grumbled, "Hmph! Some Senpai he is," Kaneki rolled his eyes and then chuckled, "The place was packed though." He says thoughtfully._

_"Still! I mean I could've, y'know, offered to help around or clean around. I don't exactly do anything at home."_

_"Hide, you're a hacker."_

_"I only do that when you guys need me to do database junk!" He whines._

_Kaneki turned around and reached up to lightly pinch the other boy's cheek, "Stop whining, you dork."_

_"I will never stop!"_

_Kaneki playfully scolds him,_ _"Hideyoshi Nagachika."_

_"Sorry."_

_"C'mon, we should get going before Nishio-san has our heads. And you have to ice that hand."_

_"Right!"_

* * *

_Few months passed and this time, it was Kaneki who knew something was off with the blond._

_"Hide?"_

_The sound of something hitting metal echoed throughout the area. Kaneki took cautious steps towards the source of the sound._

_His eyes widened at what was in front of him._

_"Hide! What are you doing!?"_

_He couldn't say anything else as he saw the blond boy with a bat and a ruined bike right next to him._

_"Nothing, don't worry about it." His friend muttered and then continued to hit the destroyed parts of the bike._

_Kaneki frowned and once he took a look at Hide's face, he realized something wasn't okay._

_But first, he needs to make the other let go of that bat._

_"Hide stop."_

_As soon as he spoke, the blond just continued to hit the damaged bike._

_Kaneki bit his lip and grabbed Hide's shoulder as though it would make him loosen his grip on the bat, "Stop it right now, Hide!"_

_The sound of metal hitting against metal continued._

_He wasn't going to stop, Kaneki could tell by the expression on his face._

_Kaneki gritted his teeth and before he could let Hide take a swing, he grabbed Hide's wrist then pinned him to the ground, throwing the bat to the other side._

_"I SAID STOP HIDEYOSHI!" He shouted, clenching his shirt as he glared angrily at his friend._

_As soon as he saw those brown eyes also glaring at him, his heart clenched at the tears that were gathered in them._

_He then felt the boy trembling in his grasp._

_'Wha–' his thoughts were interrupted when he heard an audible sniffle._

_His eyes softened and he loosened his grip on Hide's wrists._

_"Hide...?"_

_Hearing no response, Kaneki sighed and brought the blond close to his chest._

_Hide covered his face with his hands when he was pulled against the other. He knew he had upset his friend and it just made him want to hit something other than that bike beside them._

_"It's okay..."_

_The blond froze._

_"It's fine...just let it out Hide."_

_Hide clenched his eyes letting out his tears._

_Kaneki could feel his shirt getting damp and gently stroked the blond's hair._

_"It's alright."_

_Hide buried his face closer to Kaneki's chest and took in a shuddering breath._

_Kaneki just closed his eyes and held him._

_After a few minutes, he watches Hide pull away from him before standing up, hands shoved deep into his pockets. From where he was sitting, he could see the blond's eyes were red and puffy and how tired and worn out he looked._

_"Hide... What happened?"_

_"..." The boy didn't say anything and began walking making Kaneki stumble a bit to catch up._

_Before Kaneki could call out to him again when they reached one of the vending machines, his heart dropped at the broken tone._

_"Did you know Kaneki... Rabbits don't like being alone?"_

_Hide spun around to face the black haired boy with a smile. Brown eyes stared into grey ones and he could see the visible pain in them and he instantly knew what his friend meant._

_'_ _Rabbits die of loneliness...'_

_As the first tear broke loose and trailed down Hide’s cheek. Another soon followed in its wake but the blond didn't bother to wipe it away. He then opened his mouth, maybe to ask Kaneki to go home, but just settled for a quiet chuckle, letting his friend keep him company, "It was his time to go, I guess."_

_Kaneki doesn't know whether he should say something but before he knew it, he did, “...You okay?"_

_Hide answers with a hum, "Should I be?" inquired the blonde with a strained laugh this time. "I mean... I was the first one to attend his funeral after all. I even had to be the one to make it."_

_Kaneki blinked up at Hide, his eyes full of concern, but couldn't help the gentle smile that begins to spread over his face as he rests his hand onto his shoulder._

_"It would be reassuring if you are."_

_"Then, yes I'll be okay."_

_The black haired nodded then bumped their shoulders together after they started to walk back and hid the destroyed bicycle, "How about we both go visit him?"_

_"...Okay now you just want me to cry again Kaneki!"  Hide whined._

_Kaneki couldn't help but laugh, "Sorry, Hide."_

* * *

_Two years passed and the two seventeen year olds are still at it with the antics they've done when they were younger, except they settled on pickpocketing in the subway instead of deceased bodies. After all, policemen and detectives from the scenes of the crimes were starting to get suspicious on items disappearing from bodies without a trace, so they had to stop. And the fact that one time they had almost gotten caught could've gotten them in trouble._

" _I'm tired, when can we leave Kaneki?"_

_"Just a sec."_

_"You said that twenty five minutes ago."_

_Kaneki hummed in reply, eyeing the people who were standing around the train._

_"We'll get off the next stop." He said under his breath as he pulled his hood over his head and raised up his bandana over his mouth, "You ready, Hide?"_

_Hide adjusted his cap onto his head and also pulled up his bandana before answering, "Ready as I'll ever be. We got thirty seconds."_

_Standing, the two began following the crowd of people leaving but not before quickly pick pocketing those they passed._

_"Ten seconds..." Hide muttered as soon as they were halfway through the crowd and out of the train._

_Suddenly, he had a feeling someone was watching them._

_"Someone's looking at us." Kaneki spoke lowly as if reading his thoughts. "See them anywhere?"_

_Hide glanced around after they walked onto the station and caught a glimpse of two figures._

_"Girl and boy. Judging by their height, hair, and face features, I'd say they're siblings."_

_"Age wise?"_

_"Maybe two years younger than us? Can't tell."_

_Kaneki nodded and then gestured towards the exit of the station._

_After walking out, the both teens waited until they spotted the siblings and caught them by their wrists._

_"Shit, should've seen that coming."_

_"See Touka? I told you they would notice."_

_"Shut up Ayato."_

_Both Kaneki and Hide raised an eyebrow._

_"So I was right. They are siblings."_

_"Yeah? What if we are! You have a problem with us bein–"_

_"Knock it off Ayato. They got us."_

_Kaneki shook his head after he and Hide let their wrists go._

_"Who are you and why were you spying on us?"_

_"I'm Touka and that's my brother Ayato. We were wondering who's been pickpocketing people around here lately."_

_"But tons of people pickpocket at that station all the time not just us." Hide interjected._

_"Yeah but whenever we see those, they always end up getting caught. You two on the other hand, never get caught so we figured we should spy on you."_

_"You're not going to turn us in to the police, are you?" Hide asks suspiciously._

_"We were wondering if you can join us."_

_"No." The two boys answered._

_“Let's strike up a deal."_

_***_

_“I cannot believe you did this,” Hide whispers, frowning. “I cannot _believe_  you did this to me man. To  _us_.” He leans against a car they were currently leaning on that was parked across from a... _

_...bookstore._

_"You're a fucking traitor Kaneki." Hide grumbles._

_"Hey you got a free burger out of this Hide, so shut the fuck up."_ _Kaneki defends, shoving Hide away by the shoulder, completely ignoring the look his best friend was giving him "Besides I don't see any harm in helping them out."_

_"Ugh, this better be worth it then."_

_"Why you say that?"_

_"Because," Hide pauses and then his eyes widened and he quickly puts on his hat and pulls Kaneki's hood over his head, "they're being chased by a security guard!"_

_"What?!" As soon as he glances behind them, Kaneki opens the car door they've been leaning on and ignoring Hide's complaints, pushes him inside. Once inside the vehicle, Kaneki taps on the driver's shoulder, "Banjou-san, they're being chased."_

_"Ah great, not again." The man groans as he starts the engine, "You boys hang on tight."_

_"Does this happen a lot?" Kaneki asks already knowing the answer to his question by the amused grin on the driver's face through the rear-view mirror._

_"Oh you have no idea."_

_"Kaneki."_

_"Yes, Hide I know."_

_“Let’s leave while we still can."_

_"We can't, you already ate your burger. And they're running with the book I've been wanting to read for months, it's too late."_

_"...Damn, I knew I should've saved it in case."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update may take a while 
> 
> (..I still have to finish writing it. This is what happens when you only have some chapters half written on your drafts and have no idea how to organize them.)
> 
> since I'm on break, I have some time to write so that's good 
> 
> later everyone


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter after who knows how long I last updated 
> 
> I'm a slow writer tbh, I apologize.
> 
> (I'll fix any mistakes later on, if I remember)

_"Hey! Give that back!" A shrill yell was heard from a woman as she tried to chase him but didn't reach enough and eventually gave up, letting him go with her bag._

_Hide made a face while he ran, catching up to his friend, "Ugh, gross."_

_"What is it?"_

_"This lady has tons of pictures of herself inside her bag," He answers with a look of disgust as he puts the images back inside the woman's purse, "And they're disturbing."_

_"Ew..."_

_"Remind me again why we are taking her golden rings, Kaneki?"_

_"Juuzou's idea."_

_The blond sighed, slightly tugging his cap up a bit, "Are we getting lunch after this?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Sweet!"_

* * *

"Hi Mr. Shinohara-san, is Juuzou home?"

"Yes, he's in the kitchen at the moment."

Hide nods and steps inside the household after the man leaves for work.

"Sup' Juuzou!" He greets the other boy who was in the middle of his kitchen table eating crackers.

"Hide! Hi!" Juuzou grins when he spotted him.

"Listen, do you still have some of that jewelry you had Kaneki and me get for you back then? Any left over you don't want?"

"Hm? Well I guess I could give you some. What's in it for me?" He asks looking at him with a brow raised.

"I'll get you candy?" Hide suggested knowing that the other boy really loved sweets especially the kind he and the other's offer him.

"Ooh! Okay!"

* * *

"Hide, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm..Uh... I'm installing the tracking devices's software into my computer, obviously." Hide replies while placing half of the USBs around him and avoiding the obvious look his best friend was giving him because of how bandaged his fingers are.

"Give me your hands." Kaneki demanded.

"What? No can do, I'm busy here Kaneki, go read your novel books or whatever. I'm in a middle of something." The blond says waving his hand in a dismissed gestured. 

He knows what he's going to say to him so the blond began to brace himself for the scolding.

"You're in a middle of having your fingers infected if you don't give me your hands right now."

Hide gave a defeated sigh when he leaned far back into his chair, "I was hoping you wouldn't notice." He whined.

"Do I have to get Touka to bandage your fingers then?" The dark haired male says with a frown.

"Hell no." The blond deadpanned.

* * *

"These are actually good. I'm impressed Nagachika."

"Yeah? Well me and you both Senpai. I only done half of it while this nerd, right here." He pointed at Kaneki who was sipping coffee calmly. "Took it upon himself to finish the designs himself."

Nishiki snorted in disbelief, "Seriously?"

"Yes." Both boys answered. One annoyed while the other seemed pleased.

Touka shook her head, "Now we know who's the most protective out of you two."

"Hah?!" The blond exclaimed.

The girl simply rolled her eyes, "So...Which one is mine?"

"You can choose either one, doesn't matter. Rings, earnings, bracelet, watch, or necklace."

"I want the belt."

HIde blinked, "Wh–"

"I know you placed a tracker on your belt, Hide. I want it." Touka said looking at him as if she were expecting him to say something to her.

"Fine." He says with a sigh, not really in the mood to argue with her as he gave her his belt.

"Thanks."

"You're still cruel Touka-chan."

"Yeah, well deal with it, dork."

* * *

_Two years ago, early Friday morning._

_"Hello, Mrs. K."_

_The woman glanced at the doorway and smiled._

_"Hello to you too, Hideyoshi."_

_Hide chuckled as he stepped inside the hospital room and stood by her bedside._

_"It's been a while...Mrs. Kaneki."_

_"Mhm... It sure has." She responded fixing her glasses, "Ken isn't with you this time?"_

_"Nope," he answers with a shake of his head, "Let him sleep in."_

_"Ah, I see."_

_"Yeah..."_

_"Something troubling you, Hideyoshi? I appreciate the visit but I could tell something seems to be bothering you."_

_Sighing, the blond hesitated for a moment, "I have a question."_

_"Go on dear." The woman says with a reassured smile._

_"Do you know the PIN numbers for my parents's bank accounts?"_

_Never in his life has he ever seen the woman frown so quickly and give him the identical blank expression as his best friend._

_"You have better give me a reason, young man."_

* * *

_Friday Night, 7pm._

_Run! Just keep running in that direction!"_

_"Shit! Is that a cop Nagachika?!"_

_"Ssh! Nishiki-san just run!" Kaneki said as they began running towards an alleyway._

_"You don't tell me wh-"_

_"He's telling you to run." The blond boy cut in, "Do you want to get caught? Do you want me to tell them the truth of what you've been doing before you found out about Anteiku?"_

_"You wouldn't dare." Nishiki growled._

_"Try me." Hide took a glance behind him making sure they were still farther ahead from the cop and then stopped running._

_"What do you think you're doing dumbass?!" Nishiki cried out angrily._

_"Hide not now!"_

_"Ssh Kaneki, I got this."_

_"What's he doing?"_

_"Once you underestimate him, he'll do something stupid."_

_"Are you kidding me?"_

_"Nope." Kaneki answered as he leaned against the brick wall near them pulling down his bandanna to speak clearly. "Did that to me when we were younger. Actually, he threatened to show my mom what we did."_

_Nishiki raised a brow._

_"He recorded me doing parkour in a high building. My mom wouldn't have liked that since we were eleven at the time."_

_"He started crying when I held up my camera with the video playing." Hide added with a smug grin._

_"Hey don't tell him that!"_

_"What the hell? Seriously? You were going to show that to his mom?"_

_"I don't joke when I have evidence." Hide says smiling mischievously._

_Before Nishiki could retort, he stiffened as soon as he heard footsteps running their way. "Shit."_

_The blond's smile stayed put, watching the cop run closer towards them._

_"Twenty seconds." He hummed, pulling something out from his pocket and twirling it between his fingers. "Better start running guys." Hide added with a wink once something bright began to light up and smoke started to appear. He then fixed his bandanna over his mouth._

_"Is... Is that a fucking Flare!?!"_

_"Nishiki, run!"_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11/16/16 || Yo, 's been a while (I should know, I'm writing this of course... orz.. my bad)
> 
> Finally decided to update this. Enjoy-

_Hide caught the person's attention once he threw the flare in their direction._

_"What the-"_

_Before he distracted them, Hide ran forward and lifted himself onto the vehicle successfully reaching upwards into a staircase by the apartment complex._

_As soon as he made it to the roof, he pulled down his bandanna and casually walked inside the building, vaguely aware of the officer from earlier yelling out insults at him. He then took off his jacket and hid his bandanna by wrapping it and switched his hat with a spare one he had inside his pocket. Yawning, he walked out of the building once he heard the police officer's car leave the area._

_Making it to the coffee shop, Hide prepared himself for what was about to happen. The minute he walked inside he was lightly smacked by the back of his head by none other than Kaneki who gave him a look of disapproval while Nishiki was sitting by the unoccupied tables glaring at him._

_"Before you tell me how dangerous it was to do this, may I just say," He pauses and grins mischievously, "that I totally outrun the guy."_

_"Hide." The other boy warned._

_"Hey, at least he didn't see our faces. Especially you Nishio-senpai."  He pointed out with a lazy shrug after taking off his hat and placing it on an empty table._

_"Shut it. The manager wants to speak with you."_

_Hide gulped. "Ah.. really?" He asks glancing over at the stairs._

_"Yes idiot. Better get to it." The male answers annoyed evident in his tone, "He already spoke with us so now it's your turn."_

_Hide was about to mock him but then decided against it,"Yeah, yeah I'm on it."_

* * *

_After arriving at the top of the stairs, he spots the manager's door._

_He drew in a deep breath and raised his fist to knock but then managed to stop himself when he heard the manager's voice through the door._

_"No need to knock, my boy. Come in."_

_He was about to ask how he knew he was there but then remembered the guy had installed some hidden security cameras around the shop._

_The blonde opened the door, his eyes adjusting to the figure sitting across from their desk, waiting patiently._

_"Um... You wanted to speak with me, Mr. Yoshimura?"_

_"Yes I do Mr. Nagachika. Please take a seat."_

_Hide obeyed as he sat down the empty chair in front of him._

_He tried to ignore the intimidated atmosphere as best as he could but knew it wasn't working out so he patiently waited for the older man to speak._

_"I want a honest answer from you, Hideyoshi," The elder man starts calmly, "How on earth did you get those Flares?"_

_"I bought them. At a convenience store I saw a few blocks from here." Hide replies truthfully before digging into his jacket pockets and places at least five of the flares he bought onto Yoshimura's desk as proof he still had some left._

_The man studies the flares before looking back at him._

_"Did you buy these with your own money?"_

"..." 

_"It's okay to tell me the truth. Hide. Where did you get the money?"_

_"...It..I-uh took some of my parents money..."  He admitted with a mutter as he averted his gaze towards the ceiling._

_He heard Yoshimura sigh._

* * *

_-Half an hour later._

_Well... At least the old man was understanding after their conversation._

_Hide lightly hummed as he placed his hands inside his pockets while walking downstairs to face his friends._

_And just as he expected, they were waiting for him after cleaning up the shop._

_"Here, idiot."_

_A cup filled with hot chocolate had been given to him and the blond couldn't help but feel touched at the gesture,"Aw, how thoughtful of you guys. Thank you!"_

_"Yeah, whatever. So what did the manager tell you." Touka asks after he took a sip. Huh, he's figured she'd ask after she let them inside the shop this late._

_"To be careful next time," he answers with a shrug and then mumbles, "If there's ever going to be a next time."_

_Nishiki scoffs, frowning, "As if that's the only thing he told you, Nagachika."_

_Kaneki agreed and looked at him with a raised brow clearly unconvinced, "Yeah, Hide. That can't be all he told you."_

_"It's exactly what he told me." Hide says answering him unaware that he accidentally almost slammed his cup onto the table, luckily the others didn't seem to notice, "if you're so interested on what he told me then what did he tell you guys?" He countered back not wanting to tell them about the conversation he had with Yoshimura._

_"Not get caught." Came the immediate responses, well they were more like mutters by the other two under their breaths._

_Hide couldn't help but laugh a bit and then stopped himself when he felt their unapproved stares at him._

_He shrugged his shoulders once more and went to collect his keys near the back door near a familiar birdcage._

_"Hey Loser, how's it going?" He greeted the little bird as it began to let out small chirps in response making him chuckle at it and make Touka let out an annoyed groan. Oh right, she hated the little bird after Hinami brought it into the cafe claiming it as her pet._

_He hummed in amusement and stashed his keys into his pocket._

_Sighing to himself, he thought back into the messes that have been happening among everyone._

_He frowned in thought._

_Maybe it's better if they don't pry into each other's businesses for now._

_At least, not yet._

_'Another time.'_

* * *

"Have you figured out what all of us should be doing?" 

"Well it's obvious that we have be aware of our surroundings and all of that junk. Especially if we're alone out there." Kaneki says gesturing outside by pointing at the window in front of them. He bookmarked one of his recent favorite books, "It's better that way, I guess."

Touka rolled her eyes but otherwise she nodded agreeing, "Right."

"Hey, where's your brother?" Hide asks after typing something on his laptop. 

"With Hinami." Touka answered after she finished cleaning up the counter, "Banjou is with them so they're safe. I texted him to let me know if anything happens."

"Oh that's good." 

"Why?"

"Wouldn't want him being followed and besides," Hide typed something onto his phone before showing it to her and the others around them, "I have their location on my phone."

Touka blinked, "Hide how the fu–"

"I infiltrated their phones but I'm still not good at it so this is just for now until they have their trackers with them." He says before scratching his head, "I don't know why I keep forgetting to give them one." He mumbles for a moment then turns to Kaneki and gives him the trackers, placing them above his book, "Here, Kaneki. Take one for the team and tell them to pick whichever one they want."

"Got it."

"How did you even learn this shit?" Nishiki asks.

The boy hummed, "I know a guy." 

"Is it that street musician beanie-wearing dude from before?"

Hide laughed, "You really calling him that? Wow, Touka." 

She shrugged, "It's not like I know the guy, I only see him when he orders coffee in the middle of my shift."

"Well yes, that 'street musician beanie-wearing dude' taught me this. By the way, I gave him my potato chips to teach me how to do this. So don't judge me."

He heard a trio of annoyed hums at his reply making him laugh once more.

"Anyway I have their location here and I can even put it on each of our GPS, just in case of course." He added gesturing at his own phone screen.

"Smart." 

Hide huffed out a chuckle, "Thanks."

* * *

_"Look Ikuma, I just need you to teach me how to do that awesome hack you showed me a week ago. That's all I'm asking here buddy."_

_"Hm... I don't know, it can be complicated for an amateur such as yourself, Hide."_

_Hide grasped his chest as if he was wounded by the other's words, "That's low, man. I am still learning."_

_The other simply snorted,"Alright, if you hand me your chips I'll consider it." Ikuma says with a grin as he pointed out the blond's plastic bag he was carrying. A compromise was a compromise._

_Hide blinked for a moment and then glanced over at the bag of chips he recently bought from the convenience store before looking back at the other boy with a pout, "I just bought these. With my own money."_

_"No chips, no hack."_

_The blond gasped, "Just for chips?!"_

_"Well, yeah. You didn't bother to buy a can of coffee like you did last time so I want the chips." Ikuma replied with a shrug._

_"But I offered that can of coffee to you. And you know how I am with black coffee! Everyone does! It's so...." He pauses in a dramatic way letting out a fake shudder, "bitter."_

_"Hey, don't diss on black coffee. I happen to love the taste."_

_"That's because you don't have time to add anything to it." Hide pointed out._

_"True, so you gonna hand those chips over or not."_

_Hide rolled his eyes and chuckled,"Okay fine, here."_

_"Awesome, I'll teach you the hack at my place. Mom is coming home late since she's going to be escorting one of her patients to church, so you can stay for dinner if you want."_

_"Sounds like a plan Iku. I'm kinda getting tired of eating take out, heh. Maybe before I leave your place, your mom could give me some left overs to take home."_

_"Yeah? You're in luck my friend, we do have some left overs, mom tends to overcook so you'll probably will be carrying a few of them home by her begging you to take them."_

_Hide chuckles while lightly scratching his cheek,"Cool. You have no idea how much I miss having home cooked meals. You should see my room it's like covered with empty cup of noodles haha."_

_Ikuma's brows furrowed in mild confusion mixed with concern,"Why don't you-"_

_Before he could finish what he was going to say, Hide cut him off as he exclaimed, "Oh look! The bus is here, c'mon Ikuma let's go!"_

_Ikuma shook his head in amusement, "Yeah yeah I'm right behind you!"_

* * *

Two eyes scanned through a pair of sunglasses around as the owners focused their attention at what they were preparing to do.

"All clear."

"Liar."

Ayato looked offended, "Hey, I am a _great_ look-out Hinami." He said bluntly then elbowed the older male beside him, "Tell her, Banjou."

"Don't drag me into this Ayato."

"Whatever, hurry and finish this before one of those noisy workers start to walk by." Ayato says with a smirk. "With this batch, we'll surely have enough to get whatever prize we want!"

Hinami sighed and grabbed... a skeeball and quickly placed a few of them onto the 1000 slots quickly as the timer of the countdown began lowering. They were aiming to get as many tickets as they could in the arcade they decided to go in and so far they were basically cheating when no one was looking. Even if anyone were, Ayato would easily threaten them with his glare and Banjou would simply frighten them with his huge height if they dared cross with them on this. 

"Banjou-san, switch with me, my arms are getting tired and the timer is almost running out." Hinami says after lightly jumping off of the small bench beside the game and then gestured for the taller male to finish the game who reluctantly did so as she stood beside Ayato, helping him keep a look out. They had a easy escape plan so they were fine as long as she kept a look out for anyone blocking the mall's entrance. And besides, if that didn't work then they'd have to go through a second plan. Good thing Banjou had decided to invite his crew with him so some of them were practically scattered around playing the games in the arcade.

After a solid of one minute, the music of the game had ended and the two teens turn around before they let out a shout of triumph once they saw the amount of tickets they've gotten. Banjou couldn't help but join in their victory as he laughed and then picked up the tickets since he was carrying the rest of the others.

"What prize should we get this time Ayato?" Hinami asked excitingly while she also was carrying a couple of tickets they've gotten and won from other games.

Ayato glanced over at the prize corner and let his eyes wander at the prizes on display before they settled in on one that caught his interest.

"Guys, we should get th—" The boy suddenly felt like someone was watching them so he stopped in mid-sentence. The others must have felt it too and just as he was scanning around the place, he felt a presence behind him. Ayato whirled around to get the others to follow him, but as he moved forward, he saw someone standing in front of him, causing him to jump back in surprise which made Hinami let out a startled yelp and Banjou letting out a grunt when he almost fell on them, luckily they managed to catch him. As soon as they collected themselves, they looked back to the person and their eyes widened in shock.

"Irimi!?"

"What are the three of you up to?" The young woman asks as she held a clipboard and raised an eyebrow at them, "Don't tell me, trying to get the grand prize, right?"

"Uh, no?"

"Absolutely not, what makes you think that?"

Banjou placed his hands up in defense, "Yeah, I'm not part of this, they dragged me into coming with them." He says while pointing at Ayato and Hinami as he averted his gaze from them.

"What?!" Ayato and Hinami exclaimed as they looked at him with matching wide eyes.

Irimi turned her eyes back to the kids finding their expressions quite amusing.

"Hell no, we didn't!" Ayato recovered from his shock at and then frowned pointing at his direction, "You tagged along with us Banjou! Don't lie!"

"I did no such thing."

"Banjou-saaaaaan." Hinami whined.

Irimi giggled at the display and decided the conversation should end there since she is technically suppose to be working.

"Okay you guys, that's enough," She smiled at them and then gestured for them to follow her to the prize corner after she was at the other side of the glass display.

"I'll take those," She opened her palm for them to hand over the tickets so she could place them into the ticket counter machine. After a few seconds, she smirked at the amount they manage to make, "So, what'll be?" She asks leaning on her elbows and gestured towards the displays. "You can get up to at least ten prizes."

The trio blinked but then all had equally exciting smiles and then began naming the prizes they want.

After a few minutes, Irimi suddenly felt like somebody was staring at them. As she listened to her friends's prize requests, she looked around the arcade for anything out of place.

Her gaze landed at a mysterious photo booth near the center of the area.

_'Has that thing always been there? Was it new?'_ She thought albeit suspicious and confused. She couldn't help but think that photo booth seemed out of place. As if it wasn't suppose to be there at all. 

"All that's left is the grand prize!" Her thoughts were interrupted by Ayato exclaiming their final request followed by Hinami's and Banjou's enthusiastic, 'Yeah!'s'.

Sparing one last quick look at the photo booth, Irimi turned back to her friends and rolled her eyes playfully with a laugh, "Got ya guys covered. Which one do you want?"

Seems like her suspicion will have to wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update may take a while


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11/10/17 || Finally updated, hope you enjoy  
> (yeah I know it's been a while, srry)

_A humorless laugh escapes itself from his throat only to come out almost bitterly while he spoke his next words, "I know you're going to tell me that I shouldn't have done that. But I just had a feeling something was about to happen tonight. So I needed to get them in case we were in any danger."_

_"I see..."_

_"Yeah."_

_He sees the elder man about to open his mouth to say something, but Hide doesn’t let him._

_"I know it's risky, sir."_

_"My boy, you mustn't keep doing this."_

_Hide leaned back on his seat, his gaze fixated at the window passed the older man, "It's the way I live and breathe, Mr. Yoshimura. I'm used to doing these kinds of things. It's in my nature after all."_

_Yoshimura shook his head._

_"One of these days we won't be prepared for any danger coming our way." He says lowly, his gaze turning grim._

_"What are you sa–"_

_"Until that day ever arrives, Nagachika," he pauses before clearing his throat, "I want all of you to go into hiding. And let me handle everything."_

_The blond froze._

_"What?"_

_"You heard me. This is the safest way–"_

_"No. No, it's not." Hide interrupted, "You can't be serious. We are not leaving you behind, sir. If you think that I'd understand where this is going, sacrificing yourself isn't the answer. And you know it."_

_Yoshimura shook his head before turning around, "Hideyoshi this is my decision. I am only protecting my loved ones as best as I can. That includes all of my staff employees and you kids."_

_The blond sighs dejectedly, "You sure don't have a clue about how the others are going to take this." Hide pointed out as he leans back on the chair he was currently sitting, "...Who else knows?"_

_"Irimi, Koma, Yomo and Kaneki. I have yet to tell Mr. Nishio and the Kirishima siblings."_

_"Ah, that figures." He commented while closing his eyes for a moment, "So..." He pauses and opens his eyes as he watches the older man turn around to face him, "...Where are you sending us?"_

_"A secured area. Yomo is going to take you guys there when the time comes. I'll have him explain more details in due time. In the meantime, why don't you start packing a bag and we'll put it with the others?"_

_Hide nods, "Okay." He responds, placing his hands inside his pockets once he stands up._ _'...I wonder how Ms. Ukina would think about this.'_

_"I hope you know what you're doing, sir."_

* * *

"Touka."

Aware of his serious tone and unused honorific of her name, the girl slightly hesitated to answer, "Yeah?"

"Which arcade did your brother go to?"

Hide asks, feeling as if something suddenly seemed off.

He waits for her to reply and then glances outside the window for a brief moment.

"The one that's two blocks away from the school." Touka answers slowly as if she was being cautious.

The blond nods and begins to type into his laptop.

"I'll go give them the trackers, it's better if they have them now than much later." Kaneki states once he places the book he was reading earlier inside his bag and then placing it near the counter.

"Hey Kaneki."

"Hm?"

Hide kept his eyes locked on his laptop screen as he spoke, "Keep a look out and be careful."

"I will."

* * *

"You guys sure don't need a bag for those prizes?" Irimi asked trying to stifle her laughter at the trio before her.

"We told you already, Irimi. We're fine." Hinami says with a giggle as she gestures towards Ayato and Banjou who were still busy gauging at the items they had gotten. Some may think they were in awe with them. But they don't care, at least they won those prices.

"Hm... Okay then, I'll see you guys back at the shop later. Take care!"

"Bye, Irimi!"

"Yeah see y–"

Irimi froze as soon as she heard a click sound.

Her eyes quickly scanned the area and landed once more on the mysterious booth from earlier. She saw a glint of laser lights until the lights suddenly went out.

There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomache and she clenched her fists.

Then, a gun shot rang out. The sound of crumbling rocks could be heard.

They shot the ceiling.

Her breath caught in a gasp as people began to scream, panic, and start to scatter around towards the exits in the darkness.

"Shit!!" She swore and quickly jumped over the counter. Hoping to grab the attention of her friends among the crowds's screaming and shouting, "Banjou! Ayato! Hinami! Where are you guys?!" Irimi called out frantically as soon as she heard more shots being fired into the ceiling and commands being ordered.

Somehow out of instincts, she almost punched the person who had grabbed her arm but the second she heard the voice of who it was, she let them drag her.

"Irimi we have to get out of here! Let go!" 

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"Next batch!"

"Touka-chan, whyyyy?" Hide whined while staring at the dirty dishes near the sink. He'd just finished cleaning mugs and now he had to do the dishes.

"Because you're our dishwasher-boy."

"But I'm injured!" He looked at her with a pout for a moment gesturing his bandaged fingertips under the transparent gloves he had on. He then huffed before turning on the faucet and actually started cleaning the dirty dishes as told ignoring the satisfaction smile the girl had on her face.

"Oi. I thought you only wanted me to clean and wipe the mugs. I did not sign up for dish duty."

Touka rolled her eyes, "Get over it, Hide. You're good at it anyway, better than ShittyNishiki." She says as she tied a white bandana over his forehead and hair, "Besides, you technically did sign up for this." The girl pointed out with a shrug.

"Pft, of course I did." Hide chimed in with a chuckle. "The mugs are all stacked up, you can put them back at the—"

"WHAT THE FUCK!? Guys get your asses over here now!"

Both of them jumped at Nishiki's loud voice. Hide was in the middle of finishing washing up a plate until it had slipped from his hand almost falling to the floor if it weren't for Touka who managed to catch it on time.

"This guy..."

"Hold that thought, Touka-chan." Hide said grabbing the plate and placing it with the clean ones. Touka was about to protest but couldn't get a word out once Hide pulled her wrist to follow him out of the kitchen area.

"C'mon, lets go see what's up with him. Or he'll yell again." 

* * *

Kaneki couldn't comprehend to what was happening. 

Left and right, he could see people leaving the mall area urgently. Some were even recording the commotion while evacuating.

Sonething clearly is going on.

He doesn't know what, but he was getting a uneasy feeling that it wasn't good.

"Everybody must leave the mall immediately! We repeat, evacuate the mall, it is for your safely! Let the police handle the situation at the arcade area! No one is allowed through there until everything is clear, please leave the mall as soon as possible!"

His eyes widened and his blood suddenly ran cold at the intercom's announcement, _'Hinami, Ayato, Banjou, and Irimi are still in the arcade.'_

Kaneki's fists clenched watching the crowd of people being escorted to the exit door, _'Dammit, how am I supposed to get to them?'_

"...There should be another way in, I'm sure of it." He mumbles to himself, looking around from where he stood.

He needed to find a way to get to his friends. He just has to.

All of this was suspicious, and he knew that whatever was happening at the arcade was surely planned. 

While in the middle of thinking, his phone vibrates.

* * *

"Officer Amon."

Amon stares up from his monitor after a few minutes of typing out information of a recent case, "Yeah chief?" 

"We just got a call in. We are needed immediately."

The man rose from his seat about to ask what were they needed for all of a sudden until suddenly he sees the newscast on the television that was placed in the office and then understood where they had to go. 

"Anyone who's called in for back up follow us!"

* * *

“Unbelievable.” Hide mutters, cursing under his breath whilst going through his phone. 

The two workers blinked at him, confused, "What is?"

"That." Hide points at the television without looking away from his phone screen. He's swiping way too fast for either of his friends to figure out what he's doing specifically but otherwise they know something isn't right when they were still watching and listening to the news.

"No shit Nagachika. What part of a  _'shoot out in local arcade with hostages trapped'_ don't you get?" Nishiki grumbles after reading the breaking news title. 

"Nishiki, shut the fuck up." Touka snarls, "Let him find out what the hell is going on."  

"Hey brat! Watch your fucking language–"

"Who are you calling a brat you damn four-eyes?! Because of you we almost broke a few dishes with your loudass voice–"

Hide's eyes followed the television's news report as he ignores their bickering. His eyebrows draw downward for a moment. 

Both, Nishiki and Touka who finally stopped arguing, were a bit taken back at him looking that focused and instantly knew what he's thinking wasn't a good sign.

"Hey-"

All of a sudden, Hide shoved his phone back into his pocket and began to put his laptop away having to place it under the counter, "We have to go."

His gaze moves from the television to them across from him and watches as they stiffen, their eyes going wide before narrowing, and they know what he's trying to tell them. _And they know this is bad._

_"Which one?"_

"I'll tell you on the way. Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is in the works. ~~(aka I typed three drafts for it and idk which one to choose since they're not done.)~~

**Author's Note:**

> We'll see how this goes.


End file.
